And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
- BSB And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.
- NKJV The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
- NASB And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.
- NLT The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The LORD is with Joseph, and he prospers even as a slave in an Egyptian's house.
Overview
Despite his lowly status, Joseph flourishes because the LORD's presence accompanies him. The text emphasizes that true prosperity flows from God's nearness, not from circumstances. This 'God with us' theme anticipates Immanuel, Christ, in whom God dwells with His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 23
- 1 Sam 18:14And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.
- Ps 91:15He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
- Jer 15:20And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
- Gen 26:28And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;
- Acts 7:9–10And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
- Gen 21:22And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:
- Isa 43:2When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
- Gen 26:24And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.
- Gen 39:21–22But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
- Isa 41:10Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
- Gen 28:15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
- Ps 1:3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
- Ps 46:11The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
- 1 Sam 16:18Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.
- Ps 46:7The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
- 1 Sam 3:19And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
- 1 Cor 7:20–24Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
- Isa 8:9–10Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.
- 1 Sam 18:28And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him.
- Titus 2:9–10Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;
- Matt 1:23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
- 1 Tim 6:1Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.
- Acts 8:31And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 39:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.